wharenui means an ornamental Maori meeting house representing the body of a tupuna, forming part of the larger marae complex.
Why “wharenui” is a great word
The principal and ornately carved Māori meeting house, representing the body of an ancestor and forming the focal point of a marae complex. Borrowed from Māori wharenui, from whare ("house, building") + nui ("big, large, important"), literally meaning "big house." Unlike the marae, which names the entire ceremonial courtyard and its precincts, or the wharepuni, a more general dwelling or sleeping house, the wharenui is the specific, sacred vessel for tribe and ancestor. It is the ridgepole as backbone, the rafters as ribs, and the carved posts as ancestors standing in silent greeting—a shelter not just for the living, but for the lineage that outlasts them all.
Etymology
Borrowed from Māori wharenui (literally “big house”).
noun
- An ornamental Maori meeting house representing the body of a tupuna, forming part of the larger marae complex.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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